Visit California: Ballast Point Brewing Company

During our visit to Disneyland Resort, we went to Downtown Disney one day to have lunch at Ballast Point Brewing Company.

This family-friendly eatery offers a nice selection of shareables, sandwiches, burgers, salads, and mains.

BP Beer Battered Fish & Chips

Nachos Al Pastor

The BP Beer Battered Fish & Chips were delish!  The fish was was fresh and flaky, and the batter was light and crisp.

The Nachos consisted of braised pork belly, chipotle beer cheese, Pico de Gallo, pickled Fresno chilies, queso fresco, and micro cilantro.  The pork was seasoned well and really made the appetizer memorable.

Kids Cheeseburger

Kids Crispy Battered Fish

Kids Corn Tortilla Quesadilla

Kids meals are just $10, and include an entree, side, drink, and dessert.

Both the service and food were great!

Ballast Point Brewing Company
1540 S Disneyland Dr #201

Anaheim, CA 92802
(714) 687-9813

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Visit Disneyland Resort: Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge

The one thing I was most excited about during our recent visit to Disneyland Resort was Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge.

We were at Disneyland Resort for just three days, but we made it a point to visit every single day.

Stepping into a galaxy "far, far away" on the planet of Batuu was quite surreal.

From the stunning vistas, down to the restrooms - the attention to detail was amazing.

Always be on the lookout while at the Galaxy's Edge, as you may come across Chewbacca in the middle of a mission, or find a Resistance Spy nearby.

Throughout Galaxy's Edge you can shop, eat, and play, as well as experience the Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run.

On this ride, you buckle up in the cockpit of the Millennium Falcon on a mission, and you're assigned one of three roles - pilot, engineer or gunner.

There are six players to each mission, and it is such a thrilling ride!  

We got to ride this attraction three different times, and each time I was given a different job.  Of the three, I thought the pilot was the hardest.  I did much better at engineer and gunner.

The longest wait we felt we could tolerate was 40 minutes, but it did seem to go by pretty quickly.

Regardless of whether or not you want to try Smugglers Run, you should at least take a walk through Galaxy's Edge.

It's just something you must experience first-hand.

I'm so excited for the Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance attraction to open up in January!

Thank you to Disneyland Resort for the complimentary tickets.

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Visit California: Grand Legacy At The Park

Whenever we visit Disneyland Resort, we stay at the Grand Legacy At The Park.  Technically, my most recent stay was actually my first visit, because our previous visits were when the hotel was still under the former brand (Ramada Maingate at the Park).  My last visit was during renovations, and to see the transformation a few years later was exciting.

The new lobby building is so much more "grand" than the previous lobby.

We had two connecting rooms (two bathrooms are a must for our family), which gave us plenty of space to unwind after a long day at Disneyland Resort.

The recently-renovated rooms included a microwave and mini-fridge, and air conditioning units nicely cooled down the rooms as we encountered 90+ degree temperatures outside.

This Disney Good Neighbor Partner Hotel is less than a five-minute walk away to the main entrance to Disneyland Resort, and is conveniently located near numerous eateries and shops.

Although the hotel no longer serves a complimentary breakfast, they do offer complimentary Snack Bags, which come with water, fruit, granola bar, and cheese and crackers.

Also, the charge for parking is higher than before, but they do run parking promos from time to time.

The Grand Legacy At The Park offers complimentary Wi-Fi, and on-site you'll find a pool, restaurant & bar, and laundry facilities.

The hotel has a variety of accommodation types to suit parties large and small, and it is definitely an ideal hotel for families.

The Grand Legacy At The Park's convenient location, comfortable accommodations, and friendly service are just a few of the reasons why our family keeps returning.

Grand Legacy At The Park
1650 S. Harbor Blvd.
Anaheim, CA 92802

Mahalo to Grand Legacy At The Park for the media discount.

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Disney's Disability Service Access Program

From our last visit to Disneyland in October, the Disability Service Access Card Program has changed.

Now, there is actually no card, and everything is done electronically via your pass/ticket.

Upon arrival to Disneyland Resort, we proceeded to Guest Relations (Chamber of Commerce at Disney California Adventure or City Hall at Disneyland Park) and advised the Cast Member of my son's situation.  The cast member then scanned the tickets/passes of everyone in our party, entered some important information, and gave a handy little flyer explaining the process and terms and conditions (in the back is also a log where you can write down return times). 

The procedure is pretty much the same - visit a Guest Relations kiosk to get a return time for a ride (write it down on the flyer if you wish) and the Cast Member will scan all riders' tickets.  Once your return time has passed, all riders present their tickets to the Cast Member who scans tickets to ensure it's not earlier than your return time.

The process seemed to go fairly smoothly, and although there were Wi-Fi issues that delayed or prevented cards from being scanned on a few occassions, fortunately, every single Cast Member was so helpful and accommodating, and we didn't have any issues at all with the new procedures. 

I love that Disney continues with their efforts in helping to ensure all guests are able to have a magical time!

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Visit Orange County: Disneyland Resort Eats

On our most recent visit to Disneyland Resort, we found ourselves dining at most of the same places that we usually dine at during our visits, with the exception of a few places.  In addition to Rainforest Cafe and Crossroads at House of Blues, we also ate at the following at Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure:

Cocina Cucamonga Grill:

Chicken Burrito Sonora

Kids Chicken Quesadilla

Fiddler, Fifer, & Practical Cafe (first visit):

Bacon & Gouda Sandwich

Kids Smucker's Uncrustables Meal

Roast Turkey and Swiss Sandwich

Orange Mango Smoothie

Gibson Girl Ice Cream Parlor (our favorite spot - we go to Gibson Girl at least once every visit):

Chocolate

Mint Chocolate Chip

Vanilla Root Beer Float

Cookies and Cream

From top left clockwise: Cookie Dough, Cookies and Cream, Rainbow Sherbet

From top clockwise: Vanilla, Cookies and Cream, Mint Chocolate Chip

Candy Palace

English Toffee

Olaf Marshmallow

Milk Chocolate S'mores Square

Redd Rockett's Pizza Port:

Mega Pepperoni

Kids Pizza Meal

BBQ Chicken Pizza

Pacific Wharf Cafe (first visit):

Turkey & Swiss Sandwich

Churros Stand:

Churros

I loved the ice cream (of course), and my favorite meal on this visit was the BBQ Chicken Pizza from Redd Rockett's Pizza Port.  It's just so tasty and loaded with toppings.

There are still so many eateries I have yet to try, but I know on our next visit we will definitely be going to Gibson Girl Ice Cream Parlor at least once!

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Visit Orange County: Springtime at Disneyland Resort

Our most recent visit to Disneyland Resort a few weeks ago was the second time I visited during Hawaii's spring break.

Fortunately, our spring break is before when most of California's schools get out for spring break, which meant short lines and smaller crowds.

It was also unseasonably hot (90+ degrees!), and we ended up buying one of those fan sprays to help my boys cool down.

Cooling off

One of the days we were there was St. Patrick's Day, and I loved the green Mickey Mouse balloons!

Green balloons on St. Patrick's Day

Despite being annual passholders and having visited Disney numerous times, there were still some rides and attractions we had yet to experience.  I even rode Mad Tea Party for the first time!  My husband usually goes with the kids on this ride since I can't deal with spinning rides and their effects on me, but I decided to just try it.  Yes, I did get a bit nauseous, but the look on my son's face as he spun the tea cup around was priceless.

Some of the attractions we went on for the first time were the Red Car Trolley, Mark Twain River Boat, and the Redwood Creek Challenge Trail.

Red Car Trolley

Mark Twain River Boat

Redwood Creek Challenge Trail

We also rode our favorites such as Autopia, Space Mountain, Dumbo the Flying Elephant, King Triton's Carousel, and "it's a small world "(which was undergoing a bit of construction).

Dumbo the Flying Elephant

King Triton's Carousel

The famous facade of "it's a small world" covered up as it undergoes construction

We also watched the Pixar Play Parade.  We watched it before, but it was the first time we watched it since Monsters University was released, and we enjoyed the addition of the characters from that movie.

Pixar Play Parade

Frozen Fun is a new feature since our last visit in October, and one experience is Olaf's Snow Fest. Here kids can play in "snow" and sled, as well as take photos with Olaf!

Olaf's Snow Fest

My favorite part of any visit to Disneyland is the fireworks show.  The current show, Fantasy in the Sky," is just 5 minutes long, but still just as magical as the longer shows.

The fireworks show

It was another magical visit to Disneyland Resort, and our entire family can't wait to go back!

Another magical Disney vacation!

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